Equipment
Large pot (15- 19 Liters or16–20 quart)
Water bath canner
Large spoon or ladle
Canning funnel
Jar lifter
Lid lifter
Half-pint canning jars with lids and rings
Dishwasher or boiling water for jar sterilization
Ingredients
Saskatoon berries (fresh or frozen, unsweetened):
2.25 litres (10 cups)
approx. 1.6–1.75 kg (3½–4 lb)
Water: 120 ml (½ cup)
Lemon juice (bottled or fresh): 60 ml (¼ cup)
Granulated sugar: 900 g (4½ cups)
No-sugar-needed pectin:
1 box, plus an additional ¼ box if you prefer a firmer set (1¼ boxes total)
(approx. 70 g / 2½ oz total)
Preparation
1. Prepare for canning
Wash jars and keep hot until ready to use. Place lids in hot (not boiling) water.
2. Prepare the berries
Rinse berries and remove any stems or soft/mushy berries.
3. Crush the berries
Lightly crush berries (potato masher works well). You should end up with roughly 1.4–1.7 litres (6–7 cups) crushed fruit.
Optional: For a smooth saskatoon spread, blend berries instead of crushing.
4. Add water and lemon juice
Stir water and lemon juice into the crushed berries.
5. Add pectin and bring to a full boil
Mix pectin with 60 ml (¼ cup) of the measured sugar (taken from your total sugar). Stir into the berry mixture. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
6. Add sugar
Add remaining sugar all at once. Return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
7. Test the set
Remove from heat and test using the chilled spoon or plate method. If too loose, add additional pectin (1–2 tbsp), return to boil for 1 minute, and retest.
8. Jar the jam
Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 6 mm (¼ inch) headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids, and screw bands fingertip-tight.
9. Process
Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude as required).
10. Cool and store
Cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals before storing.
A rich, deep-berry jam with a flavour somewhere between blueberry and almond-cherry (thanks to Saskatoons’ natural complexity). Even if you don’t love them fresh, they shine in jam.